Brake accessory for rolls of toilet paper and the like

ABSTRACT

A brake accessory for rolls of paper that consists of a spring clip or member that prevents the paper from being unwound from the roll too quickly, and wherein the accessory is in the form of a spring member or clip that exerts pressure against the roll of paper.

A t 1 tlntte @tates A atet 1191 1111 msww Stern New. 26, 1974 BRAKEACCESSORY FOR ROLLS OF 710,034 9/1902 Belknap 242/551 TOILET PAPER ANDTHE LIKE I g g e e e a [76] inventor: Mitchel Stern, 28 S. Fourth St.,1,03 ,94 2/l914 Smith Camden, NJ. 08101 1,618,342 2/1927 Kirkman FiledFeb 22 1973 3,430,877 3/1969 Berlet 242/552 PP N04 334,616 PrimaryExaminer-George F. Mautz Attorney, Agent, or FirmSherman Levy [52] US.Cl. 242/55.2, 242/754 [5]] 11m. Ci A47k /32 [57 ABSTRACT [58] Field ofSearch 242/552, 55.53, 55.54,

242 5555 553 634 5 1561, A hrake accessory for rolls of paper thatconsists of a 1562 1293, 129] spring clip or member that prevents thepaper from bemg unwound from the roll too quickly, and wherein 5References Cited the accessory is in the form of a spring member or clipUNITED STATES PATENTS that exerts pressure against the roll of paper551,040 12/1895 Morgan 242/552 .3 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures ill llniiiiiiiii BRAKE ACCESSORY FOR ROLLS F TOILET PAPER AND THE LIKE Theprimary object of this invention is to provide a brake assembly forrolls of toilet paper, paper towels, or tissue paper and the likewherein a clip member is adapted to be used as the brake accessory, theclip member exerting slight pressure against the roll of paper toprevent the paper from being unwound too quickly from the roll of paper.

A further object is to provide a brake accessory for rolls of paper andthe like, wherein there is provided a clip member that is adapted to bemade of a single piece of material such as spring steel, plastic or thelike, and wherein a collar or ring member is secured to or formedintegral with the clip member, the collar adapted to catch the inside ofthe hard paper core on the toilet paper roll, and wherein the springclip has one leg longer than the other to catch the wall face of theceramic or steel roll holder whereby the same will be out of the waywhen in use.

A further object is to provide such a brake accessory for rolls of paperthat is economical to produce, durable in form, and conducive to themost economical use of materials and uniformity of members formedtherefrom.

Still further objects and advantages will become apparent in thesubsequent description in the specification.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is an elevational view illustrating the brake accessory of thepresent invention in use, and with parts broken away and in section.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view, taken on the line 22 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the spring clip or brake accessory ofthe present invention.

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary view illustrating a modificatron.

Referring in detail to the drawings, the number indicates the brakeaccessory of the present invention that is in the form ofa spring clipthat is made of a suitable material. such as steel, plastic, or thelike, and the member 30 includes first and second legs 31 and 32 thatare joined by a curved portion or section 33, FIGS. 1 and 3. The legs 31and 32 have registering circular openings 34 and 35 therein for apurpose to be later described.

The numeral 36 indicates a collar or ring member that is secured to orformed integral with the outer surface of the leg 32, and the collar 36has a circular formation, there being a central circular portion 37 inthe collar 36, and the portion 37 is aligned with the openings 35 and34.

The numeral 38 indicates a roll of paper, such as a roll of toilet paperthat consists of a hollow conventional core 40 made of stiff paper,cardboard or the like, and the core 40 has the usual paper 39 woundthereon. As shown in FIG. 1, the numeral 47 indicates a conventionalshaft assembly or spindle that includes telescoping sections or elements41 and 42. The numerals 43 and 44 indicate the usual paper holders thathave recesses 45 and 46 therein for receiving corresponding ends of theshaft or support assembly 47. Thus, with the parts arranged as shown inFIG. I, the spring clip 30 is interposed or positioned between the rollof paper 38 and the holder 43 with its collar 36 snugly arranged withinthe end portion of the core 40, and due to the inherent resiliencyof'the spring clip 30, a slight amount of pressure will be exertedagainst the roll 38 to prevent the paper from being unwound too quicklytherefrom. An element, such as the element 42 is adapted to extendthrough the registering openings 37, 35 and 34 and into engagement withthe recess 45 so that the parts will be properly aligned and maintainedin their proper location.

From the foregoing, it will be seen that there has been provided a brakeaccessory for use with a roll of paper such as a roll of toilet paper,and in use with the parts arranged as shown in the drawings, the springclip or member 30 of the present invention is adapted to be positionedbetween the usual holder such as the holder 43 and the roll of paper 38,and due to the inherent resiliency of the spring clip 30, a slightamount of pressure will be exerted on the roll 38 to prevent the paper39 from being unwound too fast. The member 30 includes the legs 31 and32, and as shown in the drawings, the leg 31 is slightly longer than theleg 32. In addition, the collar 36 is formed intergral with the outersurface of the leg 32, and the collar 36 snugly fits in the end of thecore 40, as shown in the drawings.

It is to be understood that the parts can be made of any suitablematerial, and in different shapes or sizes, as desired or required, andused either on the right or left hand side of the toilet roll.

As shown in the drawings, the collar 36 has a tapered tip formation asindicated by the numeral 50 so that the outer end portion is of lessthickness or size than the inner end portion of the collar. The numeral51 indicates a roughened or knurled surface that may be provided on theouter surface of a leg such as the leg 31. A flange 52 may be providedon the leg as shown in FIG. 2. The numeral 53 indicates an offsetportion that can provide a handhold or grip. As shown in FIG. 4 aknockout portion 54 may be provided on the device so that due to theprovisions of the weakened portions or sections 55, when desired theportion 54 can be pushed out so that the device will accommodatedifferent sizes of ends or pin supports on the usual conventional innertelescoping sections.

By making the device with the knockout portions 54 as shown in FIG. 4,it can accommodate or take care of the several different types of endsthat are commonly found in such holders or rollers. The face 51 may bescored as shown in the drawings. The leg 31 may be twisted or offset asat 53 to provide a finger hold. The collar 36 has the slight taper onthe lip thereof as indicated by the numeral 50. They flange 52 providesa safety factor. The ring or collar 36 may be ofa size such as not to bemore than an inch thick to fit between the roller and the inner core ofthe paper roll. The leg 31 can be twisted or bent so that it will catchthe wall face of the holder 43 so that it will be out of the way when muse.

Because there are different diameter pin extensions on the inner rollsuch as those that are about threesixteenths of an inch in diameter andthose that are about three-fourths of an inch in diameter, by means ofthe plug fitting shown in FIG. 4, this variation can be taken care ofand this can be used when the clip is made of plastic or if the devicewas made of a thin enough metal. The collar 36 which may be an integralpart of a clip should not be more than one-fourth of an inch thick andis adapted to be tapered at the end for easier insertion into thecardboard core, but not too pointed to make a dangerous sharp edge.

The longer leg of the clip is adapted to being constructed to lie flatagainst the wall with the end twisted so that there is a way of holdingit or removing it when necessary to place the toilet roll or with a lipat the end to serve the same purpose so as not to create a hazard pointand still permit the removal of the spring clip at such time as isdesired.

The scoring 51 may be in the form of a roughened surface or it mayconsist of a diamond shape, corrugated ribs or other non-slip materialssuch as a non-slip tape on the outside face of the long leg 31 to createbetter holding power for the spring clip when in use. The long leg 31 isadapted to have a right angle, edge or a rounded edge for safety.

The clip may be used for either hand, that is left or right, so that thedevice can be used from the left or right side of the toilet tissueroll. The thumb stop can be combined into one unit so that it can beused on either side of the roll. By putting a thumb hold in the device,when the user gets down to the cardboard core, it can be taken out to gowith the clip.

The present invention will prevent wasting of paper and the presentinvention has an important purpose, namely, the concept of preventingwaste of paper when the toilet roll is free flowing, especially afterthe top part of the roll has been used. The device is constructed sothat its use will provide a neat look to the roll of paper rather thanthe long streamers of wasted paper that result when the device is notused. Also, as stated previously, the device or clip can be used oneither side of the roll of paper, depending on the location of the paperroll container in relation to its most convenient use and location. inother words, it can be used either on the right or left hand side of theroll of toilet tissue.

It will now be clear that there is provided a device which accomplishesthe objectives heretofore set forth. While the invention has beendisclosed in its preferred form, it is to be understood that thespecific embodiment thereof as described and illustrated herein is notto be considered in a limited sense as there may be other forms ormodifications of the invention which should also be construed to comewithin the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. As a new article of manufacture, a brake for a roll of paperpositioned outwardly of the paper comprising a spring clip made of asingle piece of material and comprising first and second legs havingregistering openings therein, a curved section interconnecting said legstogether, a collar affixed to the outer surface of said second leg andhaving an opening therein that registers with the openings in said firstand second legs, said first leg being longer than said second leg, incombination with first and second paper holders having recesses therein,a roll of paper having a cylindrical core therein, said collar snugglyfitting in one end of said core, and a support unit includingtelescoping elements having their end portions engaging the recesses ofthe paper holders, one of said telescoping section extending throughsaid collar and through the registering openings in said spring clip,said spring clip being interposed between one of said paper holders andsaid roll of paper whereby pressure is exerted on the roll of paper toprevent the paper from being unwound too rapidly.

2. As a new article of manufacture, a brake for a roll of paper arrangedoutwardly of the paper and comprising a spring clip made of a singlepiece of material andcomprising first and second legs having registeringopenings therein, and a curved section interconnecting said legstogether, a collar affixed to the outer surfacr of said second leg andhaving an opening therein that registers with the openings in said firstand second legs, said first leg being longer than said second leg, andwherein said collar having a tapered formation, and wherein said firstleg has a roughened outer surface, there being a flange on said firstleg, and said first leg having an offset portion defining a handhold.

3. As a new article of manufacture, a brake for a roll of paperpositioned outwardly of the paper comprising a spring clip made of asingle piece of material and comprising first and second legs havingregistering openings therein, and a curved section interconnecting saidlegs together, a collar affixed to the outer surface of said second legand having an opening therein that registers with the openings in saidfirst and second legs, said first leg being longer than said second leg,and a knockout portion on said clip.

1. As a new article of manufacture, a brake for a roll of paperpositioned outwardly of the paper comprising a spring clip made of asingle piece of material and comprising first and second legs havingregistering openings therein, a curved section interconnecting said legstogether, a collar affixed to the outer surface of said second leg andhaving an opening therein that registers with the openings in said firstand second legs, said first leg being longer than said second leg, incombination with first and second paper holders having recesses therein,a roll of paper having a cylindrical core therein, said collar snugglyfitting in one end of said core, and a support unit includingtelescoping elements having their end portions engaging the recesses ofthe paper holders, one of said telescoping section extending throughsaid collar and through the registering openings in said spring clip,said spring clip being interposed between one of said paper holders andsaid roll of paper whereby pressure is exerted on the roll of paper toprevent the paper from being unwound too rapidly.
 2. As a new article ofmanufacture, a brake for a roll of paper arranged outwardly of the paperand comprising a spring clip made of a single piece of material andcomprising first and second legs having registering openings therein,and a curved section interconnecting said legs together, a collaraffixed to the outer surfacr of said second leg and having an openingtherein that registers with the openings in said first and second legs,said first leg being longer than said second leg, and wherein saidcollar having a tapered formation, and wherein said first leg has aroughened outer surface, there being a flange on said first leg, andsaid first leg having an offset portion defining a handhold.
 3. As a newarticle of manufacture, a brake for a roll of paper positioned outwardlyof the paper comprising a spring clip made of a single piece of materialand comprising first and second legs having registering openingstherein, and a curved section interconnecting said lEgs together, acollar affixed to the outer surface of said second leg and having anopening therein that registers with the openings in said first andsecond legs, said first leg being longer than said second leg, and aknockout portion on said clip.